(1) The Supreme
Lord said: 'Anyone who knows
that the As'vattha is said to be an imperishable [banyan-]tree that has
its roots upwards, its branches downwards and of which the leaves are
the Vedic hymns, knows the Vedas. (2)
Extending downward and upward, its branches by the modes of nature
downward developed twigs as the sense objects and to the extending
roots
[upward] the karma that binds one to the human world. (3-4) The form of this tree which is without a
beginning or end cannot be perceived in this world nor can one see how
it is maintained; this strongly rooted Banyan must be cut by the weapon
of detachment. After doing so one has to find out about that place for
which one is going and from where one never returns and then surrender
to Him, the Primordial Original Person, from whom everything extended
since time immemorial.

(5) Without pride
and its illusion, having
overcome bad association, understanding the eternal, dissociated from
the lust and liberated from identifying with the dualities of happiness
and distress, one unbewildered attains that everlasting refuge. (6) Going to that place which is not lit by the
sun or the moon, nor by fire, one never returns; that abode is the
Supreme of Mine. (7) The embodied
soul in its own local existence is certainly an eternal part of Me,
with the mind as the sixth of the senses carried in its material
position. (8) The body one gets as also is given up takes
its Lord to all these [senses] along like the fragrance carried by the
air from its source. (9) With the
hearing, seeing, touching as also the tasting and smelling, he from
within the mind enjoys the objects of the senses. (10) Either leaving the body, staying in the body
or enjoying the body associated with the modes of nature are things the
ignorant cannot understand, but those who have the spiritual vision
can. (11) Those who endeavor and are of yoga perceive
from being of the soul, but those endeavoring who do not act in favor
of the soul do not see this, however developed their minds are.

(12) The splendor
that is found in the light of
the sun illumining the entire world and is also seen in the moon and
the fire; understand that splendor to be from Me. (13) I permeate the planetary systems and sustain
the living beings by My energy and nourish all the plants together with
the soul-given juice. (14) Enacting as
the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living beings, I keep the
balance of the ingoing and outgoing breath and do digest the four kinds
of foodstuff [food that one swallows right away, chews, licks and
sucks]. (15) Residing in the heart of all beings they
have from Me remembrance, knowledge and reasoning; I am certainly
knowable by the Vedas, I am its author and the one who knows its
meaning surely too.

(16) There are two
kinds of being in the world:
the perishable and the imperishable state; [of the physical] all the
living beings are perishable while of the oneness to the many it is
said that one does not perish. (17)
The supreme person is but the other soul in the beyond of whom is said
that pervading the three worlds He is maintaining [them] as the
inexhaustible Lord. (18) Because I am
to the fallible transcendental and beyond the fallible the best,
therefore I am in the world and in the Vedic literature celebrated as
the Supreme Personality. (19)
Anyone who without a doubt knows Me thus as the Supreme Personality -
he, knowing all, renders devotional service unto Me in all respects, oh
son of Bharata.

(20) Understanding
this most confidential part of
the revealed scripture thus disclosed by Me, oh sinless one, one
becomes
intelligent and perfected in ones doing, oh son of Bharata.'

The Supreme
Lord said: 'Anyone who knows that the As'vattha is said to be an
imperishable [banyan-]tree that has its roots upwards, its branches
downwards and of which the leaves are the Vedic hymns, knows the Vedas.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

The fortunate one said: 'He who
knows that the tree of life is an eternal tree with its roots upwards,
its branches downwards and of which the leaves are the âtmatattva
songs28, is someone who knows the culture of
knowledge of the Vedas. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 2

Extending
downward and upward, its branches by the modes of nature downwards
developed twigs as the sense objects and to the extending roots
[upwards] the karma that binds one to the human world.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

This tree extending downwards and
upwards, developed to its twigs downward the domain of the senses and
to its roots the karma which binds one to the human world. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 3-4

The form of
this tree which is without a beginning or end cannot be perceived in
this world nor can one see how it is maintained; this strongly rooted
Banyan must be cut by the weapon of detachment. After doing so one has
to find out about that place for which one is going and from where one
never returns and then surrender to Him, the Primordial Original
Person, from whom everything extended since time immemorial.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

The form of this tree has no
beginning or end, nor a foundation that can be perceived out here;
persevering with the weapon of detachment one must be of cessation with
this deeply rooted tree. After having renounced with that tree of life,
one must figure out where that place is one is heading for and from
where one never returns, and surrender to Him, the original personal
integrity and animating principle29, from whom, and from which, everything
extended since the earliest days of the universe. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 5

Without pride
and its illusion, having overcome bad association, understanding the
eternal, dissociated from the lust and liberated from identifying with
the dualities of happiness and distress, one unbewildered attains that
everlasting refuge.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

That everlasting refuge is
attained when one, not being bewildered, is free from self-importance
and illusion, has defeated bad association, understands what lasts
forever, and when one has dissociated oneself from the lust and has
freed oneself from the dualities under the heading of happiness and
distress. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 6

Going to that
place which is not lit by the sun or the moon, nor by fire, one never
returns; that abode is the Supreme of Mine.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Going for that superior place of
mine, which is not lit by the sun, the moon or by lamps, one never
returns. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 7

The embodied
soul in its own local existence is certainly an eternal part of Me,
with the mind as the sixth of the senses carried in its material
position.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Living a conditioned life, with
the mind as the sixth sense, the individual living being, struggling
hard in its material position, is an eternal part of me. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 8

The body one
gets as also is given up takes its Lord to all these [senses] along
like the fragrance carried by the air from its source.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

It is as the controller of the
body it obtained and also has to give up, in all of that carried along
like a fragrance by the wind from its source. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 9

With the
hearing, seeing, touching as also the tasting and smelling he, from
within the mind enjoys the objects of the senses.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

With its hearing, seeing,
touching, tasting, smelling and also minding it is ruled by the objects
of the senses. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 10

Either leaving
the body, staying in the body or enjoying the body associated with the
modes of nature [are things ] the ignorant cannot understand, but those
who have the spiritual vision can.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

The notion of having a body,
quitting a body and, under the spell of the modes, enjoying a body is
something that the foolish don't understand, but those who share the
âtmatattva vision do understand this. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 11

Those who
endeavor and are of yoga perceive from being of the soul, but those
endeavoring who do not act in favor of the soul do not see this,
however developed their minds are.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Those who endeavor and unify in
consciousness, realize it from within their soul, but those endeavoring
who do not act in favor of the soul, do not have this vision, however
developed their minds are. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 12

The splendor that is found in
the light of the sun illumining the entire world and is also seen in
the moon and the fire; understand that splendor to be from Me.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

The splendor you see in the light
of the sun which illuminates the entire world, as also in the light of
the moon and the fire, you should understand as all originating from
Me. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 13

I permeate the
planetary systems and sustain the living beings by My energy and
nourish all the plants together with the soul-given juice.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

With my ethereal energy I
permeate this earth and sustain these living beings, and as their
life-juice I, by my appearance in the form of the moon, nourish all the
plants. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 14

Enacting as
the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living beings, I keep the
balance of the ingoing and outgoing breath and do digest the four kinds
of foodstuff [food that
one swallows right away, chews, licks and sucks].

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

As the fire of digestion within
the bodies of all living beings, I maintain the balance between the in-
and outgoing breath, while I digest the four types of foodstuff.30(Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 15

Residing in
the heart of all beings they have from Me remembrance, knowledge and
reasoning; I am certainly knowable by the Vedas, I am its author and
the one who knows its meaning surely too.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Residing in the heart of all
beings they have from Me their remembrance, knowledge and reason. It is
by the sacred scriptures that I am known; I'm their doctrine and the
knowledge of their meaning. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 16

There are two kinds of being
in the world: the perishable and the imperishable state; [of the
physical]all
the
living
beings
are
perishable
while of the oneness to the many it is
said that one does not perish.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

There are these integrities of
service in this world: the perishable and the imperishable one; the
service of all the living beings is perishable but the service of the
stationary and constant integrity of the multitude of the natural order
is known to be imperishable. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 17

The supreme
person is but the other soul in the beyond of whom is said that
pervading the three worlds He is maintaining [them] as the
inexhaustible Lord.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

The highest integrity of service
is another service, viz. the service of the supreme self of the Lord of
whom one says that He, pervading the three departments of the world18, is the inexhaustible maintainer. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 18

Because
I
am
to
the
fallible
transcendental and beyond the fallible the best,
therefore I am in the world and in the Vedic literature celebrated as
the Supreme Personality.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Because I am, relative to the
perishable, transcendental and, relative to the imperishable, the best,
am I in the world and in the sacred literatures celebrated as the
Supreme Personality. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 19

Anyone who
without a doubt knows Me thus as the Supreme Personality - he ,knowing
all, renders devotional service unto Me in all respects, oh son of
Bharata.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Anyone who, free from doubt,
knows about me as being that Supreme Personality, knows all there is to
know, and will serve me any way he can, oh descendant of Bharata. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 20

Understanding
this most confidential part of the revealed scripture thus disclosed by
Me, oh sinless one, one becomes intelligent and perfected in ones
doing,
oh son of Bharata.'

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Understanding this most
confidential part of the revealed scripture I now disclosed, oh sinless
one, one will become intelligent and find perfection in one's line of
work, oh descendant of Bharata.' (Sanskrit
&
tradition)